


What's in your Soul?

by AbiiMaryy



Category: Hatchetfield Universe - Team StarKid
Genre: Basically just Paul dying, Character Death, F/M, Memories, Sad, apotheosis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29781141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbiiMaryy/pseuds/AbiiMaryy
Summary: The explosion went off but it didn't stop the apotheosis. What happened to Paul as he lay in the Starlight theatre before his mind was invaded? What did he think about?
Relationships: Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	What's in your Soul?

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in an hour I don't know where it came from it just did.

Pain was the first thing Paul registered after the grenade went off. His whole body hurt. I suppose standing too close to an explosion of that magnitude would do that to you. The man laid on the floor. He couldn’t move.   
“So this is what death feels like” he thought slowly. It wasn’t too bad. The pain was beginning to dull and Paul felt himself becoming more and more peaceful. A face appeared in his mind.  
"Emma.” he breathed slowly, “I did it. I destroyed the meteor.” He managed to open his eyes and as he looked up he could see the bright full moon through the hole in the theatre’s roof. Emma was going to be okay he thought. All of this wouldn’t be in vain. Not if Emma was safe.

_"Hi what can I get you?” the barista behind the counter gave Paul a smile that seemed ever so slightly forced. The Starbucks Paul usually frequented during his break from work had been closed for the day. Something about a staff mixup or a health violation. Paul wasn’t really sure but he’d been forced to take his business elsewhere. He’d opted for Beanies over the Java Cafe on Ted’s recommendation. Not that he’d usually take Ted’s advice on anything. The man had a certain perspective on the world that Paul just couldn’t understand. But surely Ted couldn’t be wrong about coffee right? That was how Paul ended up in that small coffee shop that cold winters day face to face with a barista who without a better way to put it was absolutely beautiful.  
__“Uh- coffee-” Paul blurted out realising he’d been standing there for much too long. “Black-.” The barista nodded and turned back to the coffee machine as she began busying herself away with fixing his drink. Paul took a deep breath in. He’d never felt this way about anyone. Not after meeting them for the first time. Paul wasn’t one to believe in fairytales or love at first sight but it was undeniable. He was smitten with this barista. She turned back to him and held out his coffee with another ever so slightly forced smile.  
__"That’ll be $3.50.” she said. Paul pulled out a ten-dollar bill as pressed it in her hand and took the coffee._ _  
_ _“Keep the change!” he blurted out before turning around and bolting through the door._

_Paul never went back to Starbucks after that. Every day he’d walk the extra block to Beanies in the hopes of seeing her. Sometimes she would be there, most of the time she’d be behind the counter serving up coffee, sometimes she’d be wiping down tables and he’d be served by some other barista with long dark hair. But every day he’d go.  
_ _It wasn’t until about 6 months in that they’d had their first real conversation. Emma had complained about the shops new singing policy and Paul had laughed and agreed with her. He’d learnt her name that day. Of course, then everything had gone to shit. Just his luck that the day after he finally learnt the name of the girl he liked the world would end. By musical apocalypse no less. It had meant he’d spent more time with her he’d reasoned. They’d been through literal hell together. She almost kissed him.  
_ _"I should have let her” he thought mournfully. Who cares that she was spitting up blood? He wouldn’t get the chance now._

_Then the images in Paul’s mind began to shift and change. He found himself in a brightly lit room. It was decorated with hundreds of flowers and the whole room looked beautiful. It looked like the Hatchetfield Natural History museum but Paul couldn’t be sure. It was too clean, too bright, too perfect. It was a dream, a hope, a memory of what once could have been. He felt a nudge from his left and Paul looked to see Bill standing next to him. He had a huge smile on his face.  
_ _"She’s coming” he whispered to him and nodded towards where crowds of people sat in rows looking up at him. He could spot Alice and Ted and Charlotte even Mr Davidson had come. And then she rounded the corner. Her dark hair was braided and woven with flowers, her dress was white and stunning. It was his wedding day he realised with a start. He was marrying Emma. She finally made her way to the altar and smiled up at him.  
_ _“Hey.” she whispered and Paul smiled back.  
_ _“You look beautiful.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Next to them, a flurry of movement caught Paul’s attention as Professor Hidgens stepped up to the altar and began to speak:  
_ _"We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Paul Matthews and Emma Perkins…”_

The scene faded as another wave of pain wracked through Paul’s body. The image of Emma was slipping through his fingers. She was fading slowly as if she’d never been there at all.  
“No” Paul gasped But he couldn’t stop it.  
Instead, Paul turned his thoughts to his friends. They were all gone too of course. He’d been unable to stop it. Charlotte was killed by her desperate desire to restore her marriage. Bill had fallen at the hands of Alice incapacitated by his love for his daughter. Ted had been killed by his own cowardice. It hurt to think about them.

_Paul had been terrified his first day at CCRP. The company was one of the biggest in Hatchetfield, it paid well and it even had health insurance. Paul couldn’t help but feel like he’d mess things up. He’d been put into the technical department, he’d be working as one of the technical advisors for the rest of the company.  
_ _He’d walked through the door and been directed up to the correct floor where he was met by a woman with dark hair and large glasses.  
_ _“Paul?” The woman questioned as he stepped off the elevator. Paul nodded.  
_ _“Yeah, that’s me.” The woman smiled at him warmly.  
_ _“Hi, it’s lovely to meet you! I’m Melissa, Mr Davidson’s secretary. I believe you met him when you came for your interview?” Paul nodded. “Great. Now I’m in charge of helping you get settled in today so any questions you have I’m your girl” Melissa had then turned on her heels and led him down through a variety of corridors.  
_ _“So what do you do here at CCRP?” Paul had questioned as he walked. The girl had shrugged.  
_ _“Oh you know this and that… anyways here’s where you’ll be working.” She gestured towards a set of cubicles were Paul could see a few people rapidly typing away on keyboards. “That there” she pointed to a room behind a glass wall “is the break room you can make coffee and such though it’s not usually very good. I’d recommend going to one of the coffee shops nearby” she then pointed to a door behind all the cubicles. “That’s Mr Davidson’s office.” Paul nodded. Melissa then began to move towards the cubicles.  
_ _“You’ll be stationed between Bill and Charlotte.” she explained as she walked towards his cubicle. “You’re lucky they’re really nice.” At the sound of their names both Bill and Charlotte had looked up from their work. “Guys this is Paul” Melissa had introduced them. “He’s new”.  
_ _The two smiled at Paul offering some kind of greeting. “I’ll leave you here to get settled in then” Melissa had said before skipping off to her office. He’d instantly hit it off with Bill and Charlotte He found them both to be very nice people.  
_ _Ted had been less so. He’d met him in the breakroom on his second day. He and Bill had been sharing a cup of the somewhat adequate coffee in the pot, while Bill was telling Paul all about his then thirteen-year-old daughter._  
_“Hey Bill” the man had grinned as he walked in. “Who’s the new guy?” Bill had winced ever so slightly before turning to Ted.  
_ _“This is Paul he-”_

Paul couldn’t remember what happened next. It was strange. He was sure he had more memories of his friends. Surely he did. He’d been working at CCRP for years. All of a sudden around Paul the theatre came to life with music. A sad mournful tune came from the people surrounding him. They were singing again much like they had before. But this time Paul could hear the music.

He could hear the music.

Panic suddenly flooded through Paul’s system. He shouldn’t be able to hear it. He wasn’t supposed to but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember why. He couldn’t remember anything. He was alone and injured laying on the theatre floor. He was in pain. So much pain. He wanted out.

“ _So much loss_ .” a voice hissed him Paul’s mind. “ _So much pain. So much suffering._ ” Paul winced as the voice grew louder in his mind. “ _I can make all that go away you know. I can give you what you want Paul. Your friends, your happiness… Emma. All you’ve got to do is agree.”_ A feeling deep in Paul’s mind was screaming out to him not to do it but how could he refuse? The voice was so peaceful. He could get away from all this pain. He could go back to his dreams. He could be free.

“Yes.” Paul said. “I agree”

And then he was gone.

**Author's Note:**

> Can I write a Hatchetfield fic with a happy ending? Apparently not. Then again neither can the Lang brothers so...


End file.
